Sun Yat-sen University openly invites young talents to apply for the 2025 Postdoctoral Innovative Talent Support Program

In accordance with the "Notice on Carrying out the 2025 State-funded Postdoctoral Researcher Program (including the Postdoctoral Innovative Talent Support Program) and the Application for Postdoctoral Scientific Research Performance Evaluation and Assessment Funding in 2025" (Bo Guan Ban [2025] No. 3), issued by the National Postdoctoral Management Office and the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation, applications for the 2025 Postdoctoral Innovative Talent Support Program (Program A, also known as the Boxin Program) are now open.

We sincerely invite outstanding doctoral graduates to apply, leveraging the mobile stations at Sun Yat-sen University.

一．Overview of the schoolSun Yat-sen University, whose predecessor was the National Guangdong University founded by Dr. Sun Yat-sen in 1924, has evolved over the past century into a first-class, internationally renowned comprehensive research university. It boasts a disciplinary structure that encompasses the comprehensive development of arts, science, medicine, engineering, and agriculture. Specifically, the Guangzhou campus focuses on enhancing traditional strengths in arts, science, and medicine, while the Zhuhai campus prioritizes the development of deep-sea, deep-space, deep-earth, and deep-blue disciplines. The Shenzhen campus, conversely, concentrates on new medicine, new engineering, and new agriculture, positioning the university among the top in China for disciplinary strength.

As the cradle of Western medical education in China, Sun Yat-sen University's medical department holds significant historical importance and current strength. It currently operates 10 directly affiliated hospitals with robust capabilities, placing its comprehensive medical education and research as well as its medical service scale among the leaders nationwide.

Sun Yat-sen University has successfully attracted numerous academic talents from both domestic and international spheres, with over 500 national high-level talents — a number that ranks among the highest in Chinese universities. Currently, the university features 59 first-level discipline authorization points for doctoral degrees, 47 postdoctoral research mobile stations, 42 national scientific research and innovation platforms, and 260 provincial and ministerial platforms.

二. Program Introduction

Starting in 2023, the state-funded postdoctoral researcher program will operate with three levels of funding: A, B, and C. This funding is awarded based on the principle of "individual application, unit recommendation, expert review, and merit-based funding," with a funding period of two years for each level. Specifically, Funding Level A, known as the Boxin Program, aims to identify and support outstanding recent doctoral graduates. These individuals will engage in postdoctoral research at domestic postdoctoral station units, with a focus on key scientific research bases such as national laboratories, and aligned with frontier fields of major national strategies, strategic high-tech initiatives, and basic sciences.

三. Support policies

(1) State funding

The state will provide Boxin Program selectees with 280,000 yuan per person annually and a one-time supporting scientific research fund of 80,000 yuan. Additionally, these individuals must apply for postdoctoral scientific research performance evaluation and assessment funding. The Office of the National Postdoctoral Management Committee and the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation will then select recipients and provide one-time funding based on performance results.

(2) School salary :

Boxin Program selectees will be integrated into Sun Yat-sen University's "Yat-sen Postdoctoral" project. In addition to state funding, they will receive a highly competitive salary, augmented by both university and supervisor support.

(3) Living Facilities:

Recipients will be provided with comprehensive benefits, including five insurances and one housing fund. Postdoctoral apartments are available, and support is offered for children's enrollment in nursery schools. Furthermore, selectees will enjoy faculty benefits such as regular physical examinations.

(4)Career Development:

Being part of the "Yat-sen Postdoctoral" training system at Sun Yat-sen University, Boxin Program selectees will benefit from a high-level scientific research platform and an ideal working environment. The university is committed to fully supporting their academic innovation and career progression.

四. Application conditions

Applicants must be individuals planning to commence postdoctoral research in 2025 or who have recently started, and must meet the following criteria:

Political Stance: Support the Constitution of the People's Republic of China, abide by national laws and regulations, and possess strong ideological character.

Academic Prowess: Demonstrate a high academic level and strong scientific research capability, with no record of research misconduct.

Age and Degree: Born on or after January 1, 1993, and have obtained a doctorate within the last three years.

Eligibility Restrictions: This project is not open to returning doctors (from abroad) or foreign doctors, nor to postdoctoral researchers who hold concurrent employment. Enterprise postdoctoral fellows must apply through their respective workstations.

Research Focus:

The declared project must be in natural sciences, and confidential projects must be declassified.

• Basic research should primarily be oriented towards frontier fields such as basic science, interdisciplinary theory, artificial intelligence, quantum information, integrated circuits, life and health, brain science, biological breeding, aerospace science and technology, deep earth, and deep sea.
• Applied research should primarily focus on new-generation information technology, biotechnology, new energy, new materials, high-end equipment, new energy vehicles, green environmental protection, aerospace, marine equipment, digital economy, major engineering technologies across various fields, and common technologies.

Supervisor Qualifications: The applicant's postdoctoral co-supervisor should be a high-level expert with profound academic attainments capable of providing a high-level scientific research platform. Priority should be given to projects aligned with major national science and technology projects, national strategic science plans and projects, national laboratories, and state key laboratories.

Prospective Postdoctoral Researchers: Applicants intending to join a station must be full-time doctoral candidates. Fresh doctoral graduates are preferred under similar conditions. Fresh doctoral graduates who intend to join a station must meet the basic requirements for doctoral dissertation defense at the time of application, have provisionally selected postdoctoral co-supervisors, and have preliminary research plans drafted with their co-supervisors.

Newly Admitted Postdoctoral Researchers: Must have commenced their station period on or after March 1, 2024 (inclusive), and must not have previously applied for the Boxin Program during their postdoctoral research period, nor have been recommended by the B and C units of the state-owned assets plan.

Full-time Commitment: Selected personnel must engage in postdoctoral research full-time at the postdoctoral station and must transfer their personnel relationship (including personnel, salary relationship, and personnel files) to the postdoctoral station.

Exclusion from Other Programs: Individuals selected for the China Association for Science and Technology's Young Talent Lifting Project (excluding the special plan for doctoral students), the Heung Kong Scholars Program, the Macao Young Scholars Program, the Sino-German Postdoctoral Exchange Program, and other postdoctoral introduction and dispatch projects (excluding academic exchange programs of the Postdoctoral International Exchange Program), as well as other national talent programs, are ineligible to apply. Within the same station, while the Boxin Program and the Special Funding of the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation can be applied for simultaneously, successful selection for both is not permitted.

五. Application Process

(1) Application Materials

The application materials include the Application Form for the Postdoctoral Innovative Talent Support Program (Grade A of the State-funded Postdoctoral Researcher Program), the Doctoral Supervisor Recommendation Form, the Postdoctoral Cooperative Supervisor Recommendation Form, degree certificates, academic and scientific research achievement materials. All application materials are generated online or uploaded with scanned copies of the originals.

(2) Individual application (February 20 to March 15)

From February 20, 2025, applicants should log in to the "China Postdoctoral Science Foundation Management Information System" on the website of the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation, fill in the relevant information as required, upload the application materials, and submit them online to the secondary units (colleges, departments, affiliated hospitals, and scientific research institutions).

(3) Review of secondary units (March 21-22)

(4) The school reviews and submits the application

六. Timeline

Applications will open on February 20, 2025. Applicants should submit all required materials online and ensure their submission is complete before the deadline set by the university. Following this, a scientific review will take place from March 27 to 28.